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Katsuki does not know how to love something, or someone, other than himself.
Wait, that sounds wrong.
Katsuki does not know how to express his love for something, or someone, other than himself.
His self love is obvious by the daily "Katsuki, you're the baddest motherfucker in this class" that he tells himself while looking in the mirror once in the morning and once before going to bed.
But when it comes to others, he just does not know how to approach them.
Must have been because of the hag, screaming at him until he cried and then had the audacity to end it with "That's because I love you". Which is why ten years later, she is no longer Mommy but Hag to him, though he lets her scream and sometimes smack him too, the privilege of the person giving birth to THE Bakugou Katsuki.
Must have been because of his dad, because he was never there when the hag were screeching blood, but quietly gave Katsuki a cup of warm milk when his throat was all scratchy from crying. He had always wondered why dad did not defend him, but he accepted the sweet drink every time. As someone who does not like to be in debt, he strategically makes an extra serving of fried rice and places it on his dad's desk sometimes when he is too caught up in his newest design that it was way past dinner.
Well, there is also All Might, but that is rather idolization than love, so it is another story.
So when he met this most beautiful human being with two-toned silky hair that he definitely did not want to run his hand through, and pretty mismatching eyes with eyelashes so long they flutters whenever he blinks, and then long slender fingers with neatly trimmed nail that he certainly did not want to hold, he did both of those above things, which were screaming at the pretty boy and then cooked him dinner later, when he realized said boy missed the cafeteria open hours to play with some stray cats.
Todoroki Shouto, the owner of all of Katsuki's romantic fantasies since first year, was really polite to all of his advances, continuing their conversation with his monotonous voice even after Katsuki had screamed for the third times, finishing the plate and saying thank you as if Katsuki was a goddamn lunch lady. (No offense to the lunch lady).
It all became clear to him, that he was doing it wrong, when he saw Shouto smiling with fucking Deku of all people.
Not the full-toothed smile Kirishima directs at anything manly.
Not the stupid smile Dunce face makes when Mimi lets him hold her hand thinking nobody is looking.
Not the poster smile Engine legs has while greeting everyone in the morning.
Katsuki is not good with poetic. He is rather a straight-to-the-point type of guy, so he does not have enough of a vocabulary to describe Shouto's smile that was directed at Deku.
All he knows is he fucking hates it that it was not for him, despite all the verbal and nonverbal care he has been giving him.
Katsuki would rather die than asking Deku for advices, so he did what he does best, observing.
He would watch Deku like a hawk from the moment he stepped into class, analyze his interaction with people to see what kind of action lead to what kind of relationship.
He did not realize the staring was so serious that Shouto asked him one day, while munching on his handmade cookies.
"Do you like Midoriya?"
"I would rather shove a hand up my ass than having anything close to emotion for that nerd." The chain of insult flew out of his mouth faster than his own AP shot.
"You look at him a lot lately."
Shouto is infamous for his nonchalant behavior, that nobody really knows what is going on in that pretty head. But Katsuki made him enough soba, explained to him their assignment enough times, held him close during their team mission long enough that he was confident in picking up the slightest of change in the other boy's expression.
"What are you getting at?"
"You don't need to hide it you know. Midoriya is a really good friend."
"Do YOU like Deku?"
"He can't make me strawberry ice cream, so no."
"Of fucking course, those extras in this class would rather run to the convenience store and buy you 200 yen worth of ice with artificial flavor rather than spending an afternoon making it from scratch."
"I know, Bakugou."
And then Shouto gave him THE smile, kinda like the one Dunce Face gave Mimi but nothing stupid, just pure beauty, the one where the corner of his mouth was lifted up just the slightest, but his eyes shone with a power greater than his Phosphor move, knocking the air out of Katsuki's lung (Boy he dearly hoped that he did not just gasp out loud.)
He kept looking at Katsuki, as if waiting for him to answer, or to realize something.
Oh.
Shouto did not like Deku because he could not make strawberry ice cream.
HE was the one who made it, just two weeks ago.
Connecting the dots, then...
Oh.
Did he just?
"Thanks for the treat, Bakugou. Can I bring some to Momo?"
"Fuck no, that's for you only."
"That's what I thought."
Bakugou Katsuki is not someone good with words. He is either having a scream off with his mom or absolutely quiet moments with his dad.
But somehow, there is a boy, a damn pretty boy at that, who is able to hear the "I like you" in between, and subtly reciprocates him, letting him know that he appreciates every longing look, every words of concern, every meals made with care.
***
That weekend, he went home to a round of question from the hag, while his dad carefully set a plate of fruit on the table.
"Why do you have that stupid smile on your face?"
"It's not your business."
"It's my business if it involves my future son or daughter in law!"